2,600-Year-Old Assyrian King Stele Unearthed in Iraq

A joint Iraqi-American archaeological mission discovered a 2,600-year-old stele of Assyrian King Ashurbanipal at the Bab Shamash archaeological site in Nineveh province, Iraq. The two-meter-high fragment features a large sculpture of Ashurbanipal on its front and reliefs of other kings with cuneiform inscriptions on its back. These inscriptions are believed to detail Ashurbanipal’s building projects and accomplishments within Nineveh and across the Assyrian Empire.

Nineveh was once the capital and largest city of the Neo-Assyrian Empire, and Ashurbanipal is renowned for establishing the Library of Ashurbanipal, a vast collection of over 100,000 texts. The newly discovered stele is undergoing restoration at the Nineveh Antiquities Inspectorate headquarters.

Officials hope the find will strengthen Nineveh’s standing as a key historical and cultural center and reveal more about Mesopotamian civilization. The discovery coincides with ongoing restoration efforts at the 4,000-year-old Ziggurat of Ur, indicating a broader push to preserve Iraq’s ancient heritage.